A Game of Death
by octobersky69
Summary: While Jane goes away to sort her feelings for her best friend, a man from Maura's past comes back for revenge.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This was a story that I had been working on while I wrote Honesty. I wanted to get it finished and posted before I started on the sequel to Honesty. Most of the story I researched as much as I could for accuracy, but there are somethings that I took the liberty to make do with the story, so if something seems a bit farfetched, well it is. Not all stories will be perfect, for the entertainment of it being a fictional story I hope you can all understand and enjoy it for what its worth. The story is complete and I will post a chapter each day. As always let me know what you think, this is more crime driven, but ends up Rizzles because well why not?

**Chapter 1**

I was trying to wake up, but my eyes were not cooperating. My head felt like it was about to explode. With every breath I took, I felt dizzy and nauseous. The light which seeped into the tiny slits of my eyes, hurt so bad they would close again. I knew I needed to fight and get them open, I knew that I needed to know why I felt this way.

As I fought to open my eyes, I attempted to sit up. It turned out to be a struggle as well. Something had me pinned down, I could not move a muscle.

After what felt like hours, but was probably mere minutes, I was able to get my eyes to stay open. Now with my eyes open, the next problem presented itself. Everything was blurry, I couldn't focus my eyes to clear any images. I was able to move my head and neck so I tried to focus down at my arm, which caused the dizziness and nauseousness to stir up again. After trying to take a few short, but deep breaths, I was able to prevent myself from vomiting.

I kept up the breathing technique, as I tried to blink and clear my vision. A few minutes later the fog was slowly being lifted. But what I saw made me want to go back into the fog. How did I get here? Why was I here? Most importantly, How was I going to get out?

After taking in my surroundings, I decided I had better take note of my bodies condition. My vision was almost back completely. My head still felt like someone was bashing it repeatedly with a hammer. I was beginning to get movement back into my body, but my muscles were extremely sore all over. I was not restrained as I had earlier felt. Someone must have drugged me, maybe with Succinylcholine or Curare. Whatever it was, it caused me to experience temporary paralysis. It is the only explanation to why I am feeling the way I do. It would take time for my body to work properly.

I tried to stand, but my legs were still too weak. I decided if I wanted to move, it would be best to scoot around on my posterior. I needed to see if I had any options for escape.

The room I was in appeared to be an old cellar of some sort. There were areas of flagstone as well as dirt on the floors. The walls were made of stone which dated this room to the early 1900's. I noticed a set of steep stairs leading up to what looked to be a heavy oak door. The far wall had 3 small windows with bars, that looked like they were boarded from the outside. The only light in the room came from 4 overhead lights that appeared to be run on kerosene, rather than electricity. At least it smelled of Kerosene.

When I had scooted all the way over to the wall, I tried to stand again. I used the wall as a brace as I slowly got myself into a standing position. I stood there for a minute to give my muscles a chance to get used to this change. When I was confident that I would be able to move, I did so keeping to the wall for support.

Once the wall met with the steps, I paused to take a breath. Even though the drug or drugs that were in my system seemed to be abating, my body was still not 100%. I knew I was going to need all of the energy that I could find within myself to make it up those steps. One wrong move and I would fall. With how hard the floor was, I most likely would not make it. So I knew I needed to take one step at a time.

I had made it up the first steps, but found myself needing to sit and take a breather. The closer I came to the door, the more nauseous I was becoming. I was over exerting myself and this was the way my body decided to punish me. After a brief rest, I pulled myself back up and made it up the final 8 steps.

Now I was faced with how to get the door open. I thought I was being stupid to think that I could just open it. But was I shocked to find that it did just that. I slowly made my way through the door and down the hall. Being as quiet as I could be. Once I made it to what appeared to be the living room, I stopped in my tracks. I was standing in the middle of a log cabin and it was empty. I made my way to the front door and outside.

The cabin was situated on a very high hill, overlooking a dense forest on all sides. The trees looked like they went on forever. The sun was just coming up for the day, so my guess would make it around 6am. I didn't know every area Massachusetts, but my guess was that I was no longer in that state. We didn't have this many variety of pine there. The only thing I would have to guide me out of here was the sun. I lived in the east, so that's where I slowly headed. My hope was to come across a highway and maybe a motorist, then I could get home to my family. I wondered if they realized I was gone, I wondered if they were looking for me. Maybe the question should be, How long have I been gone?

I stumbled a few times down the grassy hill. But every time I got up, my legs felt stronger than the last. My headache had subsided and by the time I reached the edge of the trees my legs had allowed my pace to quicken. I started to think that I was going to get out of this situation, even though I still had no clue how it had come about. The last thing I remembered was walking to my car in the parking garage. It was 7pm and I was heading home.

I was soon pulled from thoughts when I was pushed forward by an unknown force. When I began to get back up I felt a shooting pain in my shoulder, when I looked I saw an arrow sticking a few inches out of me from both sides. Next thing I heard was a swoosh sound very close to my head, then a thud. I looked up to see another arrow, but this time it was stuck in a tree. So much for an easy escape, looks like I was now being hunted like an animal.

I could not see my attacker, so it was going to be difficult to know which way it was safe to head. I continued with my decision to head east. I knew if the person was shooting a certain way, that they were probably trying to lure me from safety. I needed to make sure I didn't get my bearings screwed up. I had watched enough documentaries to understand the tactics of hunters. I would need to be evasive in order to avoid becoming their prey.

I could feel more arrows coming close to me, but I needed to keep up my momentum, it wasn't easy to run while having an arrow stuck in you. It wasn't a normal arrow either, the length was not the same, they were shorter. The tip was only sticking out about a few inches in my upper shoulder. I have an extensive knowledge of weapons from my years as a medical examiner, and this one seemed familiar. I needed to think of what case this was similar to, then maybe things would start to make sense.

A few more arrows flew past, but they were coming from different angles now. Oh my, I think there is more than one person hunting me. I was running as fast as I could, I just needed to get out of these damn woods, I needed to find help. Next thing I knew I was approaching a clearing, I thought this was a good sign, but as luck would have it, I had come to a dead end. I had 2 options, jump 100 ft into a river below, stand there and be killed or worse, be abducted again. I was hit one more time in the same shoulder and fell to me knees from the force of the impact. I knew what I had to do. I got up and made a running leap, as I was in midair I felt something pierce through my upper right leg, another arrow.

My body soon felt the impact of hitting the water, the same leg that had been hit, took the worst brunt. I was soon being carried down the rapids at a very fast pace. I was trying to do my best, using my good right arm and left leg to keep myself from going under the water. I was hoping that the water was carrying me quickly away from the men who had been up top. After about 10 minutes I felt the water starting to calm, the rapids seemed to be flowing into a larger body of water. I could see a large tree laying across a small section, and I tried to get my body to flow that way. It took most of my remaining energy to do so, but I had made it.

I crawled out of the water and onto shore. The wound on my leg was bad, the arrow must have had a larger diameter than those in my shoulder. The force of hitting the water had caused the arrow to break off inside my leg, it was bleeding quite heavily. I needed to apply a tourniquet. I was wearing a shirt over a tank top, so as quick as I could, which because of my shoulder wound, was not very quick. I took that off and did my best to tie it around my upper thigh. I pulled as tight as I could, and screamed out in tremendous pain, as I made a double knot. This would have to do. My shoulder wound was killing me after that, but since the arrows were smaller, the bleeding was not as bad. I reached over for a heavy stick that laid near the edge of the water and used it to help me stand. It would have to do for a crutch.

I needed to find somewhere safe to hide for a bit. My body needed rest and I needed time to think of what to do. I had no clue where I was, and to be honest the adrenaline that had me running for my life was quickly leaving me. I noticed an opening in some rocks across the water, so I did my best to paddle myself through the water to get there. As I made my way into the opening I realized that it was a cave. I went in and around a few corners, until I found a very secluded area and took refuge.

As I sat there, I began to think about what had happened. It had been a Monday night when it must have happened. There had been nothing odd about the day, except for Jane's odd behavior. The cases were straight forward nothing out of the ordinary. I was late in leaving because I had taken a call from an Agent Colson with the Boston FBI Field office. He wanted to set up a time to meet about a case he needed help on. I had not wanted to meet that night, I needed to go home and decompress from the days events. Jane had spontaneously decided to take a weeks vacation, as she stated, to get away from it all. She said she had been completely stressed out from work and well life too. I had offered to go with her, but she said and I quote, "Don't take offense Maura, but I need to get away from you too." I knew she could see the hurt on my face, but she left me there and walked out. No goodbye, nothing.

Well I guess that means Jane is off on her vacation and won't be coming to save the day this time. My eyes soon grew heavy and my body succumbed to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

12 hours earlier

Detective Vince Korsak decided it was time to call it a night and head home to his furry friends. As he was making his way down the elevator and to the parking garage, his thoughts were on his former partner and friend Detective Jane Rizzoli.

Jane had been more on edge of late. He noticed her being short and combative with almost everyone that she came in contact with, even witnesses and suspects. Normally she would go down to the morgue to see the doc, but he had noticed that she was avoiding her as well. He had asked Angela if they were fighting again, but she didn't seem to think so. A few hours ago Jane had told Lt. Cavanaugh that she wanted time off, and she wanted it starting right then. It was granted with no questions asked.

As Vince made his way down the aisle of cars, he noticed a purse and other belongings scattered across the ground. When he got closer, he noticed the car that was near the mess, was a gray Prius. He began to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. The car belonged to Dr. Isles, and she had called up almost and hour ago to say she was leaving for the night.

After investigating the area, he found the items did in fact belong to the doctor. He got on his cell and called for the crime scene techs, then he phoned Frost and Cavanuagh who were still in the building. He tried to call Jane, but it went straight to voice mail. He left her a message to call him asap, that Maura was missing.

The techs came up empty on prints other than the doctors. The only piece of evidence that they did find, was an empty used syringe. That had been taken to the lab for processing. Sean sent Vince and Frost to Maura's house to see if her abductor took her there. Vince became concerned about Angela, but Sean said that she mentioned having to babysit TJ over at Tommy's house.

Frankie was just coming on shift when he saw everyone hanging around Maura's car, then he noticed the crime scene tape. He became panicked and ran over to find out what happened. When he asked where Jane was, he learned that she left at 4pm for vacation. This puzzled him further, Jane never mentioned she was taking a vacation, nor did she do things on the spur of the moment. He tried calling her cell, but was sent to her voice mail.

Frankie told Sean and Vince that he wanted to go check on his sister to make sure she was okay. He knew that Jane would want to know about Maura.

**Maura's House**

Vince and Frost checked out both entrances to Maura's house and then went to check the guest house as well. All doors were secure and no activity could be observed. Vince sent Frankie a text letting him know that they didn't find anything and that they would meet back at the precinct.

**Jane's Apartment**

Frankie knocked on the door, after a few minutes he finally he gave up and used his key to enter the apartment. The place was quiet. He checked every room and noticed that she had almost emptied out her closet and dresser drawers. He looked in the closet to see if her luggage was where she kept it, but that was gone too. So his sister really did split town. He left another voice mail being a bit more specific. That Maura was abducted forcefully from the garage at work and they were fearing the worst. He then sent a text to the guys letting them know that Jane was gone. On the way back to the precinct Frankie stopped by Tommy's place to let his MA know what was happening. This was going to kill her. Maura was family, a daughter to his Ma and sister to him and Tommy, he was still wondering how to classify what she was to his sister, they had always been close, very close.

**Back at the Precinct**

Frost and Korsak had been watching the security footage, they started at Maura's office and traced her steps as she left for the day. The current image was of Maura and an unknown man. By now Frankie was back and Lt. Cavanaugh joined them as well.

Korsak said, "Frost can you close in on the suspect and make the image bigger?"

Frost replied, "Yeah, and I will transfer it to the bigger screen so we can run facial recognition with that new program we just obtained from the FBI."

Korsak turned to Frankie while Frost worked, "So no Jane, Did Angela say anything about where she might have gone?"

Frankie replied, "No she didn't even realize that Jane had left yet. Tommy and Lydia called their date short, and Ma will be coming by here shortly. I told her she didn't need to, but she is really worried and would rather be closer to any news. She also said she would keep trying Jane."

Frost got everyone's attention, "Here we go, the guy was doing really well hiding his face from the cameras until Maura got a kick in to his groin and was able to turn away from him. See there, he turns to grab back at her, that's when he injects her with something. Then Maura fights back and knocks the syringe away. He had to continue to wrestle with her to get her into that van, so he must have forgot to go back for it. She really did put up one hell of a fight. Quite impressive."

Sean jumped in then, "Not impressive enough, he still got her. This makes me sick, why her? Is this linked to Doyle? Does she have any pending court cases that she has to testify at? We need to look into all of that. Frost have you run her phone records yet, maybe someone was threatening her. I am going to go call the Warden and have him interrogate Doyle, see if he has heard anything. Keep me posted."

Frost began running her work and cell phone numbers, while Korsak and Frankie checked the computer for current cases. The facial recognition program was still cycling through images, and would beep if a match was found.

**(45 min later)**

Senior Criminologist Susie Chang entered the Bric with concern written across her face.

"Detectives, the lab results are in on the syringe. It was filled with a mixture of Vecuronium Bromide and Ketamine. When analyzing the small remains in the syringe, it is apparent that they not only wanted her knocked out for a long period of time, but when she does wake, her body will suffer the effects of the Vecuronium Bromide, which is temporary paralysis. It is hard to say how long that effect will last, but the cocktail they mixed was close to a lethal dose. Whoever took her, knows their drugs."

**(While Susie was talking Angela had entered the room)**

"OMG, Why did this happen? Why Maura? Please you have to find her." Angela was crying out. She had been in shock when Frankie told her what happened, maybe even denial. But now hearing what Susie had to say, the reality of it all hit her. Susie quickly went to her side and held her in a hug. She too was being affected, Dr. Isles was not only her boss, she was someone who she really looked up to.

Frost called out,"Hey Korsak, I have a call coming in just prior to the doc leaving. It's from the Boston FBI field office, the extension traces to an Agent Colson. Do Maura's records show her working a case with the FBI?"

Lt. Cavanaugh had entered the room while Frost was talking, when he heard this he said, "I'll contact him and find out what he wanted with Dr. Isles. The warden is in with Doyle now, and will let me know what or if he has anything to say. Frost do what ever you do and find Jane, when you find her location give it to Frankie, and he will go get her and bring her back. We will need everyone on this."

**Lt. Cavanaugh's Office (The Lt. Was just put through to Agent Colson)**

"Agent Colson Here, what can I do for you Lieutenant?"

"I am inquiring as to why you contacted Dr. Maura Isles, our Chief Medical Examiner?" Sean said.

"As I explained to the Doctor, I would rather discuss it with her in person. She agreed to meet with me in the morning. May I ask why you are involved in this?"

"That meeting will have to take place with me now. Dr. Isles was abducted from our parking garage at about 7pm this evening, only 10 minutes after your conversation with her. We have not yet ascertained why she was taken or who her abductor is. My question to you is, could the case you are being cryptic about, be the reason for her abduction?" Sean asked.

Agent Colson responded, "Lieutenant I will be in your office within 15 minutes, but first to answer your question; Yes, I believe it has everything to do with my case."

**(8 PM Jane Arrives at Uncle's fishing cabin on Rattlesnake Island, West Alton, NH)**

After driving for 2 straight hours, stopping in town to pick up some supplies, and then taking Uncle Louie's skiff across Lake Winnipesaukee, I had finally arrived at his 1 room cabin. I quickly unloaded all of my stuff and settled in. The first thing I did was grab a beer and sprawl out on the sofa. My mind and body had reached its breaking point. Not since the first encounter with Hoyt was I this stressed out. It was more than stress though, I was physically and emotionally exhausted. I was happy that my Pop's Uncle was willing to let me stay here on such short notice, not to mention that he promised to keep it a secret.

I knew that I had been taking out all of my frustrations on my family, friends and co-workers. I also knew that I needed to get away in order to square things away. The reason I was exhausted is because I kept looking for more cases to keep myself occupied. When we didn't have a fresh body, I was out looking for a cold case. I had convinced Cavanaugh that my talents would best be used to solve cases, instead of waiting around for someone to be killed. At the time he told me to take some time off, but I wasn't ready to be alone in my head. That was what I was trying to avoid.

I looked over at my cell and wasn't surprised to see 36 missed calls. What did surprise though was that they were all from my Ma, Frankie, and Korsak. None from Maura. I couldn't blame her though, I was rather mean to her. I knew that I had hurt her, but in a way I was happy that I did. Maura was the reason that I had been throwing myself into so much work. I had figured if my head was in my work, then it wouldn't be spending time thinking about my best friend.

In the last month I had finally come to the realization that I was in love with Maura. Most people may not see that as a problem, but for me it was not only a problem, it had become a nightmare. Everyday I saw her and knew I couldn't have her. Every night I went to bed and she invaded my dreams. What was funny is that I wasn't having issues with the fact that she was a woman, that was the least of my concerns.

I knew Maura and I shared a closer than normal friendship, and if I were honest I had noticed that Maura looks at me with not only love, but at times passion and desire. So I also knew that if I had the guts to open up to her about my feelings, I would not be surprised to find her reciprocating. So again one might ask, so what's the problem?

I cannot lose her. I am horrible at relationships. I have pushed every boyfriend that I have ever had away. I have attracted more psychos than any one ever should, and the sad thing is, I will probably attract more. I had trouble keeping Maura safe from Hoyt, and I almost lost her. Who's to say that the next one wouldn't go after Maura because of me? When I shot myself I saw what it did to Maura, if we were a couple, what would it do to her if I got shot again, or worse died.

I am from a blue collar family, I live a simple life. Maura, even though we are total opposites and became best friends, is still from a different world. I love Maura, but I hate that world. I would not want to be on her arm at all of those gala's and charity events. I do not want to be in the spotlight. I know Maura would not make me, but I wouldn't want to feel like she is settling and giving up a big part of her.

She is family, she is truly a Rizzoli and if something happened and things didn't work out, then I would have destroyed not only our relationship, but the family she has come to love and call her own.

I think Maura is so wonderful that I think she deserves to be with someone that can give her the world. Someone that is happy and positive in life like she is. I am a pessimist now, I have been broken beyond repair. Sometimes I wish Maura could have known me back when I was more alive. Back before Hoyt came into my life.

**(Jane's cell rings again, this time indicating an incoming text)**

Why can't they just leave me be? I am just so tired. (Jane picks up cell and looks at the message)

{From Frankie: I know you are at Uncle Lou's, Traced your cell, Don't make me come get you, waste of time, Maura needs you, call ASAP}

What? Why am I being tracked? Can't I have time to myself? Why does Maura need me? Let me guess more Hope and Cailyn Issues. Can't be Doyle, he is away for good. I decide to check the rest of me messages to see what is going on. If this is just Maura being upset at my tone of voice, then she can just deal. I am not running back for her to cry into my arms. That would only make my problems worse.

After reading Frankie's text from earlier, over and over again, I still can't move. I am such a jerk. I have been sitting here feeling sorry for myself. Trying to figure out how to get space from Maura so that I can go on living around her without losing her. While she has been abducted by some psycho, and they have no clue where to look. I may have lost her because I couldn't be around her. If I hadn't ran out, we would have left work together. I would have been able to protect her. Wait, what if she was taken because of me? What if someone had been watching me and picked up on my feelings for her? This could be all my fault. Yes, that is it. I am the reason she is hurt or worse dead. It just proves that we can never be.

I will go back and help find her, but then I need to let her go. In my mind and my life.

**(Frankie's Phone)**

On My Way...2 hrs.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for the support! The name of the bad guy is to honor the author who wrote the first short story back in 1924 about Human Hunters. Since then that short story has been made into several movies and has been the basis for episodes in many popular television shows. The events in my story have not been taken from any of those, only the act of human hunting. One more note, Yes, I named the Agents after two of the main agents in S.H.E.I.L.D, had just watched that new show with my son. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Happy Weekend, last of the warm days here for me, then comes the cold!**

**Chapter 3**

**(Lt. Cavanaugh's Office}**

Frankie just informed the team that had just assembled that Jane was on her way back, ETA 2 hours.

Sean nodded, but then turned his attention to Agent Colson.

"Agent Colson I think it would be best if we go over this once, so I am going to have Detective Rizzoli listen in. She can put her phone on speaker as she drives. Frankie, get your sister on the line and put her on speaker."

Frankie calls Jane and lets her know what is happening. She has just gotten back to her car and sets her phone in its holder on the dash. "Okay everyone I am on, what do we know so far?"

Lt. Cavanaugh speaks up, "Jane, Agent Colson from the FBI is with us. I am going to let him explain what is happening. Agent Colson can you please fill us in on what you think has happened to Dr. Isles? Do you have a name on her attacker?"

Agent Colson took a look around the room, all of the men had much concern written on their faces. This was not going to be an easy story to tell.

"I understand that Dr. Isles has been your Chief Medical Examiner for the past 7 years. I don't know how much you know about her time before coming here, but I will tell you that her abduction has everything to do with it."

At hearing this Jane was able to breathe a little bit easier. She was relieved to know that this had nothing to do with her, now she would be able to focus better on finding Maura.

"Back in 2005 the FBI was in search of a man who abducted females and males who he considered to be a worthy adversary. Once he chose a target he would drug them and take them to a secluded spot. When the target woke up they would find themselves alone, and free to escape. After a few minutes, they would soon realize that escape was not their abductors intention.

The man we are looking for is Richard Connell. He has a secret club in which some very rich men pay him to arrange a human safari. They are men who get a thrill in hunting and killing men and women.

We caught him in late 2005, after he had arranged the deaths of 8 men and 5 women over a 5 state area. He never gave up the names of those that paid him, he was loyal that way. We probably would not have caught him, had it not been for Dr. Maura Isles.

San Francisco's Chief Medical Examiner was under investigation for falsifying DNA results. Dr. Isles, who was the Chief of Pathology at the San Francisco Medical Center was asked to fill in until they could determine his fate. So when the body of the latest victim was found in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, it landed in the hands of the best M.E. That I have ever worked with. I am sure you know what I am talking about. Your homicide clearance rate is the best in the country. Well she found the evidence that no one else could. Within 12 hours of that autopsy, we named, located and arrested Richard Connell. We had Dr. Isles go over all of the other victims files. We exhumed the bodies and she re-autopsied them. She was able to link him to all the murders, and convince the jury with her testimony.

When the jury came back and found him guilty of all charges, he just sat there and smiled. A week later he was sentenced to life in prison. The Judge allowed him to make a statement before his sentencing, he was told by the defense attorney that it would be an apology to the victims families. That was not the case, he used his time to inform the Judge that he would not be contained in any prison for long and that when he got out he knew who his first and greatest challenge would be. Then he handed the Judge a picture that he had sketched during the trial, Dr. Maura Isles.

I called Dr. Isles earlier to set up a meeting so that I could inform her face to face that Richard Connell escaped Maximum security prison. I am sorry that I didn't make her aware over the phone, then maybe she would still be safe."

Jane had been listening intently to this, Maura had never spoke about the case, in fact she never mentioned much about her time before Boston. This Agents actions just fueled her hatred for feebs. Why didn't he warn her while he had her on the phone? Since Maura had never brought up the fact that she had once been threatened by a murderer, made Jane ask Agent Colson something, "Agent Colson, was Maura, I mean Dr. Isles aware of the threat that Richard Colson made that day in court?"

Agent Colson had heard stories about Detective Rizzoli and knew he needed to play nice or else she would eat him alive. "No, Dr. Isles was not made aware of the threat, We believed that with a life sentence that there was no need to worry her."

Jane had so many questions brewing, plus she was angry that she was still at least an hour out, but she was making great time. With a little venom in her voice she asked, "Agent, did you ever bother to look into who these club members were? Or did you just chalk it up since you got the big fish? I mean those men don't just stop killing, they would have turned to someone else, or went off on their own."

Agent Colson could sense the tension growing, not only with Detective Rizzoli, but with the other men as well. "We were told to close the case. I was then transferred to the Washington D.C office, before coming here last year."

Jane had enough of Agent Colson, so she turned her attention to her partner. "Hey Frost, I know you have already been through the security footage at the precinct, but what about the streets. Were you able to track the vans movements from the time it left the garage?"

Frost smiled, he could always count on his partner to be on top of her game. "Yes Jane, The van left the garage at 7:23pm. I followed the traffic cams south past the commons and then I seemed to lose him, but I was able to zoom in on the license plate, which I hadn't been able to do before then. I just got back information from running his plate against turnpike and toll bridges. There was a hit on the Ted Williams Tunnel leading into Logan International. I have a call into Airport Police to check for the van. I think that is our best bet, since I didn't get any more hits off the 1A, had he continued on and exited somewhere else we should have got a hit."

Jane thought this through and knew she could count on Frost's gut feelings as well. "Frost can you also check all private flights out of Logan between 7:40pm and now. It is only 15 minutes from there to Logan and I don't think they would hang out for long, also check chopper flights as well. Frankie get back with the Airport Police, if they didn't take a flight, then they picked up new wheels, so we will need to follow up on that. Boss, I've lucked out up until now with doing 80mph, can get permission to turn my lights on and get there as fast as I can?"

Sean shook his head, while the guys smirked, Jane always knew how to push the envelope."Jane, since I know you will not drive the speed limit, I will allow the use of lights and sirens, but for the sake of the citizens around you please be careful. I will free up this line now and have Frankie and Frost get back with you on anything they find. If they did take her out of state, I will need to get to work on having the Police Commissioner sign off on us working with Agent Colson. See you soon detective."

Jane disconnected the call on her end as well, she knew she could trust the guys to work hard on finding Maura, she was important to then as well, but not as important as she was to her. Jane just mentally made a promise to herself, and to God. If he helped her find Maura alive, she would risk it all and tell Maura how she felt. It had hit her these past few miles. No matter their relationship status, she would always love Maura. No matter where she was in the world, no matter how much money she had or didn't have, she would always love Maura. She also knew that no matter what Maura asked of her, no matter what Maura didn't ask, she would always be there for her, because well, she loved her. She also had a deep gut feeling that Maura loved her just as much.

Jane wondered why it took this drama to make her see clearly? But she also knew she couldn't dwell on the what if's, instead she had to find Maura. Once she did, they would sleep for a week, and yes she meant they. Once she found Maura, she was never leaving her side again.

**(9:30 PM Boston P.D.)**

Jane had just made her way into the precinct and found herself attacked by her mother as she tried to enter the elevator.

"Oh Janie, thank God you are here! I came down to make some coffee for the guys, I just wish they would find her already. What could she be going through? They won't tell me anything about this man, other than the fact that they have a name. Do you know why they took her?"

"Ma! Calm down. It is better that you don't know. He is not a rapist, I can tell you that much. I don't want you thinking those kind of horrors. What you can do is pray for her and for the team. If you don't mind, do you think you can make some sandwiches for me and the guys, we won't be going home anytime soon."

Angela nodded her head and finally let go of Jane, who hit the up button for the BRIC.

**(BRIC)**

As Jane entered the squad room, she saw the room bustling with activity. Korsak was the first to notice her presence, and waved her over to the BRIC, it was their Intelligence Center. In recent months it had been upgraded, just like most large cities within the U.S. This room allows the police to monitor live feeds of city and traffic camera's, counter-terrorism information, and real-time crime mapping, with cutting edge software. Just within the last few days, the FBI had given them access to some of their databases as well.

Korsak started to fill Jane in on what they had found out. "Hey Jane, it looks like they dumped Van at Logan. Either these guys are sloppy or they just don't care, we found Maura's hair in the van and we also pulled several prints from within. One set of prints has already been identified as Richard Connell. The others are still being run through all of the databases, no hits yet. Frankie has been working with Agent Hill over at Logan, they found 2 men exiting the van. Video Surveillance shows them removing an oversized suitcase and wheel it into Terminal A. (Korsak points to a monitor on the wall which shows that picture) The men get lost in the crowds for a little while, but are picked up again as they exit out a side door leading to the Tarmac. (Korsak points to another monitor and punches a few keys on his computer) If you watch the tape you will see another 2 men driving up in luggage car. They help load the bag and drive off towards the private hangers on the far side of the airport. This is where it got tricky with the cameras. They are not linked into the cities software. So while Frankie has been working to get access on his end, Agent Colson called in a few favors and is working on getting us a satellite feed from homeland security."

Jane nodded her head, for the past few minutes it had finally hit her, this was really for real. It was as if before had been a really bad dream. Her drive here was done without thought on the crime, it had been more of her coming to terms with her feelings and what she knew she had to do. Now the reality was staring her in the face, Maura's picture posted up on the crime board.

Korsak had been watching her face and he could see the array of emotions. He knew that everyone at BPD was being affected by the doc's abduction, but if anything happened to her, if they didn't get to her in time, Jane Rizzoli would never be the same. He placed his hand on Jane's shoulder and said, "Jane, we are going to find her and bring her home. These men are going to be sorry they ever came and messed with our family."

Jane looked at Korsak and smiled as she nodded. He was right Maura was family to them all, and as Korsak had said years earlier, "You Don't Mess With Family".

"Your right Vince, we are going to get her home. So where is this Agent Colson, I'd like to meet him." Jane said with a new found determination in her voice.

Korsak led her to Cavanuagh's office and knocked before entering. Sean opened the door and greeted Jane with a hug, which Jane found really odd. Then he said, 'I'm sorry to call you back, especially under these conditions. I promise we will get her back, I know she is family to you and all the Rizzoli's, but she is apart of mine as well."

Jane just looked at him and nodded, then noticed that the man in the room, who must have been Agent Colson, had just hung up on his call.

"Hi, I'm Detective Jane Rizzoli, you must be Agent Colson. Where are we on finding out Dr. Isles location?" Jane said as she reached out to shake the agents hand.

Agent Colson looked the detective over and knew she was just as described, a no nonsense bad ass cop.

He directed his answer to everyone in the room, "I just got off the phone with someone that I believe you all know, Agent Joseph Grant at Homeland Security. I knew he had once been a Lieutenant here and figured he would be someone willing to play ball with us. When he heard that it was Dr. Isles, he was more than willing to help. I stayed on the phone with him while his team ran a satellite search for the co-ordinates to the private airfield and hangers adjacent to Logan International. The images have been sent into the BRIC, so if we head over there we can check them out together."

Agent Colson continued to talk and walk, "he said the image shows them taking the doctor out of the luggage and placing her into a chopper. The tail number was visible and he had his team running it as we speak. When he has the information he will call us."

When they reached the BRIC, they saw that Frost had the video loaded up on the main view screen.

"Hey guys, this just came in, but I'm sure you already know that." Frost said when he saw the looks on everyone's face.

Jane smiled at her partner and said, "Yeah Frost, Joey Grant came through for us. He is checking the tail number on his end, but can you run it on our end as well. You know how I don't like to rely on others and stand around doing nothing."

Frost smiled and began to type. Just then Frankie came in followed by Agent Hill. After a quick introduction to Jane he said, "We weren't able to retrieve the security tapes, because someone knocked out the cameras. {just then Frankie saw footage of the same hanger area that he had just left) How did you get that?"

Jane explained how they had obtained it, but told her brother to go on, because she could tell he had more information.

"So anyways, the camera's were knocked out, but we were able to obtain the flight plans for all private aircraft that took off from Logan during the time frame that we were given. So seeing as how you have a tail number we can cross reference that." Frankie handed the paper work over to Jane.

Agent Colson responded before Jane had a chance, "Great work Detective and to you to Hill. Detective Frost bring up the tail number on the far screen, Detective Rizzoli why don't we each take a page and get through that list."

Jane did as Agent Colson requested and gave him the second page. Korsak looked over Jane's shoulder and acted as a second pair of eyes, while Hill did the same with Colson.

Jane reread the tail number three times to make sure it was the same from screen to paper, then she called out, "I got it. N7568J is registered to a Peter Gallagher. The registration lists his occupation as CEO of Federal Cartridge, based out of Minnesota."

Frost started researching Peter Gallagher as soon as Jane said his name. When he had the info he was looking for he jumped in, "Peter Gallagher is the suspected leader of a militia group out of northern Minnesota, called the Army of Darkness. It say's the FBI and ATF have been following the group for years, but haven't been able to link them to any anti-government movements. One Agent who had infiltrated the group back in 2006 says that they seemed to be more of a weapons cult, rather than a militia. While undercover he said he mainly observed the men to be interested in building weapons and testing them to see the damage they would inflict as they hunted animals. One man in the group had told him that he was looking to create the best weapon which would inflict the slowest and most painful death in his target. His bosses felt that the group was harmless and pulled him out 6 months later."

Jane was shaking her head as she looked to Agent Colson and Agent Hill, "Yeah sure they sound harmless to me, what the Fuck is wrong with you Feeb's? Frost what does it say about this company of his?"

Frost typed a few more keys and said, "Federal Cartridge is a small weapons manufacturer, which supplies sport hunters."

Agent Colson refrained from making comments about why the FBI did what it did, he wasn't about to start a pissing war. Instead he continued his focus on the case, "So can we verify that this chopper followed its flight plan? It says that it was scheduled to land at the Tellico Plains Airstrip in Tellico Plains, Tennessee. If it did keep to that course, how long would it have taken them to fly there?"

Frost delegated the flying time to Korsak, while he accessed flight records from the FFA. Korsak was the first to respond, "If they did head there and the specs are accurate on that model chopper, I would say at most a 3 hour flight time. So if that's the case they should be landing right about now.

Jane was getting impatient now, and yelled out, "Frost come on, did they land there or not? We need to get a hold of local law enforcement and I need to get moving if that's the location."

Frost was not going to take that from his partner and replied, "Chill out Jane, we all want Maura back safe, and yes I just verified, N7568J landed at Tellico Plains airstrip at 10:45pm. That means they have had 15 minutes to head wherever."

Jane turned to Cavanaugh, "On the way here I contacted Constance Isles and she said she would have the Foundations Jet at my disposal once I knew if I would need it. It is a Cessna Citation X, which means its the fastest private jet out there, I can be in Tellico Plains in half the time it took those men.

I am going no matter what, so if the Feeb's want to join in that is fine, but I am taking Frankie with me."

Cavanaugh would have a talk with Jane later about her approach to this, now was not the time.

"Korsak and I will hold down the fort here and communicate with local police. Take Frost with you as well. Now go and bring back the Doc."

Jane thanked him and they all headed out the door, they had a lead, and it was a big one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

By the time the team had arrived at Logan the plane was still fueling up. Once Constance heard back from Jane she called the pilots to meet them there. After filing the flight plan with the tower, they began their prep of the plane, which took longer than Jane had hoped. They finally were airborne by 12:45am. The team chose to get some rest while in flight.

At 4am they were landing in Tellico Plains. 2 FBI Agents from the Knoxville Field office were there to meet them. They loaded up into the two awaiting SUV's and headed to the local police station. Within 10 minutes they were pulling into the stations gravel parking lot.

Agent Colson and Detective Rizzoli were leads on this, so the other men stood off to the side while they approached the Desk Officer. They were led to the Chiefs office.

"I'm Chief Johnson, and I have some information for you."

Colson was took the lead, "I am Agent Colson and this is Detective Rizzoli, what can you tell us about the chopper that landed."

Chief Johnson picked up paper and handed it to Jane, "We were able to get you the license plate number off the vehicle that picked up the passengers from that chopper. Our witness says that it was 4 door F-150 pickup. He said that 3 men were in the vehicle and 3 men got off the chopper. One man from the chopper was carrying someone, and put them into the bed of the truck. Now we assume that is the person you are in search of."

Jane spoke up this time, "Yes, that is Dr. Maura Isles, Chief Medical Examiner for the BPD. Now do you have information on where this vehicle was headed? Do you know if the vehicle is registered with any GPS tracking devices?"

The Chief shook his head, "All we know is that the truck was headed south towards town here. One of my officers is checking with the gas station to see if there outdoor camera's picked anything up. That is probably our best bet for now. There are too many possibilities, and with out the big city technology, we just have no way of knowing."

Jane had been so used to all of their little toys that she hadn't thought about the lack of technology in small towns like this. They had been given hope, and now that hope was being taken away. Jane started to process what they knew about these men, at least the two they had identified. If they were truly going to use Maura as prey, and hunt her, they would need to go somewhere secluded.

She decided to ask the chief if he could think of a place, "Chief, the men we are after are into Human Hunting. Once they have a target, they drug them and lock them up in an abandoned building or house. Then they wait for the target to wake and escape. Once they do, the hunt is on. Is there anywhere like that around here?"

The Chief scratched his head, then pointed to a map on the wall, "You may want to look at a map of the area you are in. You are surrounded by the Great Smokey Mountains, and within that is the Cherokee National Forest. This area is as secluded as you can get. We have lots of cabins that are dispersed throughout, not to mention many abandoned sheds and homes. If these men know the area, then they have the upper hand."

Jane looked over at the map, how the hell were they going to find her? She looked to Agent Colson who was probably thinking the same thing. "I need to get Frost working on this, Chief can you check in with your office and see if that tape exists, if so we will need him to bring it here. Also we will need to know what other businesses out there may have cameras as well. Detective Frost is our media guy and can work wonders. Do you have the report from when you ran the license plate number?"

The Chief was feeling like the biggest fool and began to apologize, "I am so sorry, I know we should have run it, but I got caught up in the search of the area and then well, like I said, I am sorry... I'll run it now."

Jane couldn't believe it, "No that's okay we got it. Frost get in here."Jane yelled out

"Frost the Chief here has a license plate number for you to run, and by the time you are finished the Chief is going to have a security tape for you, at least I hope there is a tape."

Frost took the number from the Chief and began running it. The Chief got on his cell and called his officer, who had been watching the tape at the gas station. Jane heard him say, "Bring it now." so she figured they had gotten lucky.

Frost finished his search and called Jane over, "Hey Jane, the license plate is from a 2013 Black Ford F-150 crew cab. It is registered to Enterprise Rentals out of Knoxville. I am in the process of obtaining their records, just need a few minutes."

Just then an officer entered and handed a video tap to the Chief. Jane took charge again, "Hey Frankie, come help me look through this surveillance tape."

Jane walked over and took the tape out of the Chiefs hand and said, "Where is the VCR in this place?"

The Chief new he screwed up so he let her take point, he handed it over and sent his officer out of the room.

Agent Colson and Agent Hill were having their own pow wow with the feds from Knoxville. They were planning ahead for an aerial and ground search. With the terrain they were dealing with they would need different equipment.

Agent Hill was contacting the NPS (National Park Service), they would need to bring in their Special Agents and as many Rangers as they could spare. These men would know the area. Agent Colson was arranging the air support for the first light of day, with the amount of ground they had to cover they would need it.

Jane and Frankie had just spotted the truck on the camera footage and called the agents over to see.

"We have the truck here heading down past the north side of the station, then their second camera picked it up as it sat at the traffic light. Watch, when the light turns green they make a slight left onto that road there."

The Chief was watching and figured this was where he could help a little, "That is the 165, it is the only main road that heads into the mountains. There are over 650,000 acres of Forest. There are no gas stations, stores, or anything for miles and miles. Its is called the Cherohala Skyway, takes you straight through the forest. 10 Minutes up the road is a Ranger station, if you keep going you'll cross into North Carolina in about 50 minutes. There are a few side roads that lead to 7 cabins which the state rents out, they lie along the Tellico River. But mostly any off roads are mountain roads, unnamed and at times very treacherous. Then there are the wild animals to be concerned with, this Forest is home to more than 2000 Black Bear, Rattlers and Copperheads, Bobcats, Red Wolf, Eastern Panthers, and other large predators. If they plan to hunt her in there, God help her, because if they don't get her, the odds of these other predators doing so is not as rare as one might think."

Frost cut in with what he had found out, "The truck was rented by Paul Gallagher, he is Peter Gallagher's younger brother. He is also involved with Federal Cartridge. The truck does have a GPS chip, but I do not have the equipment here to track it. I have Korsak working on it at his end. He will call when they have found something."

Agent Colson received a call and excused himself, once he finished he returned, "That was Agent Parker with the NPS, he will meet us at the Ranger Station in a few hours. I think we should head there now, if anyone wants to catch a few z's they have cots there. It is still too dark out to start our search and we still have no clue where to start. I have air support coming and the rangers will be supplying us with all of the equipment and men that we will need. Chief, Thank you for your help, we will be getting out of your hair now."

**(5AM Ranger Station in Tellico Plains, TN)**

In route to the ranger station they had received word back from Korsak. The truck's gps was showing its location to be parked in the Holly Flats Recreation Area about 48 minutes from us.

**(Jane's POV)**

Once we got to the station we had to wait for the NPS agent and rangers. I was getting really impatient, we had a solid lead and I didn't care if there was no light out, I didn't care that I didn't have an all terrain vehicle. The ranger station had a jeep on site, I could hot wire that and go. Frost and Frankie had been reviewing all of the maps of the area, I was confident that we could find our way.

I approached Frost and Frankie and told them of my plan. Frankie and Frost looked at one another before Frankie spoke up.

"Look Jane, I agree that we should move on this, but we don't know the area. Yeah we have a few maps, but that covers the roads, not the trails. Once we head into the forest, we would be lost in no time. Then what? How is that going to help Maura? Its been almost 12 hours since Maura was taken, what is another hour going to matter?"

I was not happy, I thought my brother and partner would have my back. "look, if we leave now we can be at that campsite by sunrise, that gives us a better chance at catching them. I can't see them hunting her in the dark, and well we know she was alive in the back of the truck. If they follow the pattern they set all those years ago, then Maura may not even be awake yet."

Frost put his arm on Frankie's to stop him from answering, he wanted his say, "Jane, I am with you. I agree with what you are saying. Frankie if you want to stay behind that's fine, but I am going to help Jane."

I was smiling now as I gave Frost a big hug, "Thanks partner. If it makes you feel better I will let Agent Colson know what we are doing."

Frankie felt bad, once again he was being a wuss, why couldn't he be more like Jane and learn to take risks. That is what held him back, finally he said, "I'm not staying back with these guys. My place is by your side. Will you really let Agent Colson know, in case we need their help?"

I knew he would come around, "yes I will tell him. Now go get some supplies. Water, guns, ammo, rope, first aid kit and blankets. Oh and I saw some energy bars on that shelf over there. Frost help him load the stuff up and work on getting the jeep started. I will go deal with Colson."

I walked over to where the agents were all seated and asked Colson for a few minutes. He followed me outside.

"Look I understand that you need to wait for the support, but I can't sit and do nothing. I am taking some supplies and my guys. We will get ahead start, be able to check out the campsite at dawn and start surveying the area. If they aren't there, then we will be able to come up with a new plan on where to look. This is not open for discussion either, I just wanted to let you know what I was doing. We will be in touch."

I didn't wait for a response, Frost and Frankie had pulled up with the Jeep, I got in and we took off.

Maura I am on my way.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: We are now caught up to when we left off with Maura. Jane and the guys have arrived at the campsite, Maura is resting in the cave.**

**Chapter 5**

**(Inside a cave within Cherokee National Forest 6:45 am)**

**(Maura's POV)**

I am not sure how long I had closed my eyes for, but it still looked very early. I was in a lot of pain from my injuries, but I also knew that I couldn't just sit there and wait to be rescued. I was on my own. I slowly made my way to the cave opening. As I looked out I could see the river. I looked to the west and saw nothing but a tall cliff, at least 50 feet or higher, there was no way I could get up there. The river ran north and south, with short banking on both sides. I could follow it south and see where it took me, I was not about to head back north and into the hands of those men, or worse killed b y them. So either I kept heading east, which was rocky and hilly and also appeared to head up into some mountains, or I would need to go south and stay to the river and hope it led me to civilization.

South won out, with my injuries I was not up for the climbing that would be involved in going east.

**(Holly Flat's Recreation Area 6:45 am)**

**(Jane's POV)**

We had arrived at the campgrounds about 30 minutes ago. We located the truck and another truck with a trailer was close by. The trailer had several muddy tire tracks on it, so Frost was guessing that it held some all terrain vehicles. We each took a section of the campground to search and see if we could find anybody that may have witnessed these men.

Frost and I met back first and neither of us found anyone. The place was empty, no campers. I was about to call Colson, who was still waiting for the NPS Agent and rangers to show up, when Frankie came walking over to us with a scruffy looking man that appeared to be in his late 60's.

"Hey Janie, this here is Bruce Tolken, he ran into those guys early this morning when they arrived. He said that he didn't see Maura at first, but when they pulled out on there ATV's, he saw a woman laying on the back of board, which was being dragged behind one of them. He doesn't have a cell so he couldn't call a ranger, and he knew the station would be empty as well. He was going to report it today, but well we got here first."

I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt about saying he would report it, even though I highly doubted it. "So which way did they head?"

The guy looked over at me funny, I guess he wasn't used to women police, then said, "They headed north of here, towards Bald River. I thought it was weird being so early out. Not to mention dark."

I thought it strange as well, "Bruce, do you know of any cabins, or other buildings that would be in that direction? Someplace they could rest for the night?"

Bruce was stroking his beard and thinking it over, then he said, "They say there is an old cabin that was once used by General Sherman during the civil war out near the Bald River, ½ way between the falls and here. I don't know if it's true or not since I haven't seen it for myself. The area is very hard to get to, not a place where us campers have a need to go."

That had to be the place, it would be secluded enough, "Could you show us on this map where you think the place is?"

Bruce looked at our map and pointed out the location of where he had heard it was located. He said that the jeep would not make it, and that even those men would have trouble getting there with the ATV's. He told us to be careful with the terrain, and then told us to wait a minute and he would give us some pepper spray in case we came in contact with black bears or other predators. The snakes we would just have to keep our eyes open for.

While Bruce was getting the spray, Frost and Frankie grabbed the packs they had out together back at the station. I called Agent Colson and filled him in. Agent Parker of the NPS had just arrived and heard what I had said. He knew the place and said that they would take a northern route and meet up with us. The choppers would be of no use because the trees were too dense.

Since the Jeep was going to just here I decided to make another gut decision. I had them put the packs back in and I would drive. If I could keep to the shore of the river and avoid the higher terrain, we could get there a lot quicker. Frost and Frankie knew better than to even try and stop me.

**(Somewhere along the river)**

**(Maura's POV)**

I had been walking for a little while as best as I could, when I heard the first sounds of engines. The noise was coming from behind me, and that is why I became nervous. It could be those bad men. I quickly began to search for someplace to hide. The best I could come up with was behind a very tall tree with a wide trunk. I leaned against it, just hoping they would not spot me.

Apparently I was not quick enough, I soon heard a man's voice yelling out.

"Dr. Isles it is so good to see you again. I wonder if you have figured out who I am and why I have brought you here. I must say it would insult me to know that you had forgotten all about the man you put away for life. I must say I never thought that my biggest challenge in life would end up being a woman with your background. I am sure you have never even spent time in the great outdoors. I believe while I was in prison I read somewhere that you were a lover of books and art. My men were surprised that they were unable to being you down. I assured them that we would find you and that they would get another shot... Are you injured Doctor? You should just come out and show yourself, and let the inevitable happen."

Oh my God, Now I knew who it was, Richard Connell. I was sure to die now. I would never get a chance to see Jane again, my parents, Bass. They would never find my body, never know what had happened to me. Right now I was thinking about all of my regrets in life. I had spent so much time with my work and putting off what I had always hoped to have one day. I had allowed myself to become complacent with what I had and never risked asking for more. I never took a chance at finding out if I could have more. Jane would never know that I had fallen in love with her, I would never know if she had felt the same.

"Doctor, I am waiting. Your little escape earlier was not in my plans, I had hoped to kill you before the feds caught up. Yes that's right, the Calvary is not far behind. I made sure of that. I left just enough crumbs for them to follow. That Agent Colson is not the brightest of the pack I must say, but he does play into the picture. You see the men here wanted a true hunt, not just some silly doctor to kill, but I needed to get my revenge for what you took away from me. So in the end I will be the one to kill you, they just want to have some practice first. No they are saving themselves for the big kill. I am afraid that the Agents, rangers and oh yes those idiot cops from Boston are in for a bit of a surprise. You see they thought Chief Johnson was just some small town cop, but in fact he works for me. From what I have learned you have a rescue party coming at you from the north and the south. Don't get your hopes up though, because I will be finished with you before they even get here."

Jane was here, I knew it now. I couldn't let these men kill her, nor could I allow anyone else to die. What could I do though, I was injured and had no weapons. How many men were there? Maybe I could stall by talking, Jane always said I could get wordy.

"You will not get out of here alive, none of you will. Even if you succeed in killing me, they will get you. You are all pathetic, what makes you such a great hunter? You are the ones with the weapons hunting defenseless humans. At lease when you hunt an animal they have the ability to defend themselves. Nope, your just a bunch of sick freaks."

Well that wasn't smart, I gave away my exact position, and found myself being grabbed from behind the tree. Then as I gave out a small scream, the man threw me into the shallow part of the river and I hit my head on a small rock. I tried to stand up, but without my walking stick had trouble. I made onto my knees, when another man kicked me in the stomach and I fell backwards into the water again.

I could hear Richard Connell laughing at the display.

"Come now doctor, can't you do better than that. At least try to put up a fight. You consider us pathetic, but you should see yourself. Have you not learned anything working with cops all these years?

As I forced myself up, ignoring the terrible pain I was in, I grabbed a rock in my right hand. The man on my right never saw it coming, I swung with all my might and knocked him in the skull. He teetered for a minute, then collapsed unconscious onto the ground. I gave a small laugh and said, "I guess all my years as a doctor taught me just where to hit someone so as to incapacitate them."

Richard, who had been sitting astride an ATV, got off and approached me. He pulled out a gun and aimed it at my head. "Lucky shot is all I have to say. It is just a shame that you will get off easy. I wanted you to suffer for taking away 10 years of my life."

Next thing I knew an evil look came over his face. I think he had just thought up of another way to make me suffer. He began to call out instructions to his men, and within minutes I found myself strung up on a large tree limb. My legs were still free, put my arms were tied above my head to the limb. Before the last man could walk away I wrapped my legs around his neck and squeezed with all my might. I could feel the man struggling for air, and I just squeezed tighter. Richard shot his gun, but he wasn't aiming at me, but higher up on the tree. I would not be deterred, if I could knock out some of these men before the others arrived, they would have a better chance. The man's struggle between my legs had lessened, and within a minute he was knocked out. I wasn't sure if he was dead or just out cold. All I knew was that I wasn't pathetic.

Richard yelled out, "You Bitch, who the fuck do you think you are? Men take aim and have it, I only have one rule, do not kill her! That is my right."

Next thing I knew I was being hit all over my legs and arms with arrows of different sizes. I tried to hold off my screams, I didn't want him to have the satisfaction of seeing me hurt. After a few minutes he called out "cease fire". Then he took aim and shot off the 2 ropes that had been holding me to the limb. I fell a few feet to the ground, I couldn't hold back the screams now, as the arrows pushed further into my body.

**(Jane's POV)**

We hadn't noticed anything yet as we made our way up the river. So far the Jeep was doing its job and we had not encountered any boulders or logs blocking our way. But as luck would have it, 20 yards up and we had to ditch the Jeep. We grabbed the packs and went on foot. About fifteen minutes later we heard screams and began to run toward them. I told the guys to stick to the side of the embankment, that way we could try and stay hidden. When I saw the back of the first man, I stopped and signaled for Frankie and Frost to stop as well. We gently laid our packs down and pulled out our weapons. The embankment rose up about 2 feet, so that is where I headed. I wanted to get a better view as to what we were dealing with.

I almost screamed out at the site. Maura had arrows sticking out everywhere, her face was bloody from multiple blows. She had been forced into a kneeling position at the edge of the water, which was stained red from her blood. I could see 2 men were down, and other than the man who was holding a gun to Maura's head there were an additional 2 men on either side of him.

I signaled for Frost and Frankie to join me, they had to keep their own gasps from becoming verbal. I was about to give direction when the man with the gun, who I assumed to be Richard Connell spoke.

"I guess I have to give you credit doctor for being tougher than I thought. I knew you were smart, that is why you were an important challenge after all, besides the revenge factor. You held out well, I am sure who ever cares about you will be happy to know that you didn't go down without a fight. Now I hope you are prepared to die."

I could see Maura smile, it wasn't a happy smile, but a I have a plan and am going to take you down smile. I needed to act before she did something stupid, but I wasn't fast enough.

**(Maura's POV)**

So there were 5 men left, and one of them was the leader, I needed to try and get as many of them before I died. It was inevitable, the Calvary was no where in site. As Richard was talking I kept my focus on his eyes, as my hand grabbed a hold of the arrow sticking out the side of my leg. If I could break it off at the front, I could use the arrow and stab Richard with it. I would aim for his chest, not that I was trying to kill him, but it would severely incapacitate him.

When he stopped talking I knew I had to act quickly, before he had time to react, I was throwing all of my weight at him and my hand was forcing the arrow into him. Unfortunately I missed his chest, instead I had made contact with his neck. After It entered, he pushed me away and had such a shocked expression on his face, then he laughed as he began pull the trigger.

I had fallen back from an unknown force, and found myself laying flat against the ground and water pooling all around me.

**(Jane's POV)**

I saw what she was about to do, I told Frost to take out the 2 guys on the left and Frankie got the 2 guys on the right, while I went for Richard. When I saw him start to pull the trigger, I took aim and shot the gun out of his hand. In doing so Maura was sent flying backwards onto the ground. The men turned to see where the shot came from, and before either one could take aim, Shots had come from both our side and from the north. The Calvary had made it as well. I rushed down to Maura's side and let everyone else deal with the men.

**(Maura's POV)**

I had my eyes closed trying to force back the pain I was in while trying to figure out how I was still alive. Next thing I knew I felt a presence kneeling beside me, I opened my eyes and saw the most beautiful site in the world.

As I tried to talk, I had tears of both Joy, at the sight of my Jane as well as tears from the tremendous pain I was in, pouring down my cheeks.

"Jane, you came. I didn't think anyone would find me, I didn't expect you to come. I thought you had left. I have so much that I want to say, but the pain is so hard to bare, I don't think I can..."

**(Jane's POV)**

When I got her side I didn't know what to do. She had so many arrows sticking out of her, her face was all bloody and beginning to swell. At first I thought she was unconscious since her eyes were closed, but then she opened them, even though she had blood all over, all I could see in that moment were her beautiful hazel eyes. She had tried to smile at me, and in that moment I knew she would be okay. Then the tears started to come and I knew that she was in extreme pain, and before I could say anything she had passed out.

The rangers had come prepared, after cutting the arrows that were interfering with laying her flat, they loaded her up onto a stretcher and onto the back of a UTV. The vehicle was able to hold 6 passengers, so I made sure that Frost, Frankie and I were 3 of them. Within 20 minutes we were at the Cherohala Skyway, rt 165. A helicopter had landed in the middle of the road and soon we were all loaded and ready to go.

The FBI agents made the call to fly us to Duke University Medical Center, it was the closet Trauma Center to where we were, and they could have us there in 30 minutes. All I wanted at that point was the best care for Maura, so I agreed and we were airborne once again. The Ranger who was also a medic, joined us on the flight to monitor Maura's vitals.

The doctors were informed while we were in the air about the patient they would be receiving. I called my Ma to fill her in, while Frost called Cavanaugh and Korsak. My Ma then assured me that she would contact Constance and let her know. When I got off the phone Frost said that Cavanaugh would bring Ma out on the first available flight. He said he didn't want her traveling alone and that Korsak could hold his own.

When we touched down all hell broke loose. The doctors and nurses rushed out with a gurney and swooped Maura away. I tried to run after, but was told that I could not follow. One nurse stayed behind and escorted Frankie, Frost and myself to a waiting room where she asked us information about Maura. I did my best to give her the answers.

All I could do now was wait.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you again to all of you who have reviewed, pmd,followed, favorited and so on! It makes me feel really good to know that you have enjoyed this story! This is the last chap and then a small epilogue will upload tomorrow A.M. A short break then back with a sequel to Honesty, and I may try to get in a Halloween Story that has been building in my brain, just have to see how to plays ou**

**Chapter 6**

**(Jane's POV)**

After about 2 hours a doctor approached us.

"Hello, I am Dr. Yung, I understand you are here for Dr. Isles. (I confirmed with a head shake)

I can tell you that she is still in surgery, we first removed all the arrows which had not penetrated completely. Here is one of the arrows that we removed, I thought you may need this to find her attacker. The arrow is not like one I have ever seen. As you can see it is only about 6 inches in length. This is the type that she was mainly hit with and did the least amount of damage. There is minor damage to her soft tissues and muscle, they have been stitched up and in time will have healed on there own. Had she been hit anywhere other than her arms and legs, she would have been in worse shape. That being said, she has 2 wounds that are much more severe.

The wounds are different, she was hit with a larger arrow that not only are longer, but have a thicker shaft. Two hit her through her upper shoulder, they not only hit tissue and muscle but bone as well. They appear to be older wounds and had developed an infection within. The same can be said for the wound to her right upper leg. Again this arrow is even wider than the other 2. This arrow was broke off a bit on both ends and removing it has been a challenge.

As for other injuries she sustained, we are taking care of them as well. She has a swollen left eye, small lacerations across her face, and bruising and abrasions around both her wrists, all of which have been cleaned and treated. She has 3 fractured ribs that will heal on their own, and we will need to do some tests later to ensure that the bruising around her kidneys and liver are just that, bruising and not damaged organs.

If you have any questions let me know, other wise I need to head back and help the other 2 surgeons who working on your friend."

I was crying, thankful to hear that Maura had not sustained a life threatening injury. In time she would be okay. I thanked the doctor and told him to go back to Maura. Frankie who was right by side led me back to a chair which I collapsed into. Soon I allowed my body to fall asleep. Maura would be okay.

As I began to wake I could a lot of voices around me, most of them saying "she is waking up". When I fully opened my eyes I saw Constance, Ma and Sean sitting across from me. Ma sprung out of her seat and quickly began hugging me, which was not what I wanted when I was just shaking off sleep.

"Ma, do you mind? Save it for Maura, better yet, don't do that she will be too sore for your crushing hugs" I said with a very aggravated tone.

"Janie, I am just happy that you are all safe now. I was worried sick and you were so far away. The doctors just came out and said we should be able to see Maura in a little bit. She is has been in recovery for about 30 minutes now, but they said it could take at least a few more hours for her to come around. They said the surgery was successful. They had to put a titanium plate and screws in her collar bone, apparently she had a comminuted fracture. They said that this was the only way to repair the damage. She will not be able to lift anything heavy for at least 2 months, but with physiotherapy, they say she should be as good as new in about 4 months."

Now that I knew Maura was out of surgery I just wanted to see her. Even though Ma was telling me about Maura, it wasn't the same, I needed visual proof that she was alright. So I got up and went to find a nurse, after telling my Ma of course.

"Okay Ma, I just need to see Maura for myself okay, so I am going to go see if I can do just that."

Constance stood up and approached me before I could get away and said, "Jane, I know they will only allow once person in at a time, so when Maura wakes, just let her know that I am here. I understand how important it is for you to see her, and I know you are the one she would want to see first too."

I don't know what came over me, but I hugged her and said thank you, then I went to find a nurse.

**(Maura's Hospital Room)**

**(Jane's POV)**

As I sat in a chair beside Maura's bed I reached out and laid my hand on her right arm. Not too much pressure, just enough so that I knew she was there and she would know that I was with her too.

I was working through what I would say to her when she woke. I didn't want to wait, I needed to tell her how I felt. I came close to losing that chance and now that I had the opportunity, I was not going to waste it. I just hoped that she would feel the same.

It was around 5:30pm when a nurse came in and handed me a note from Constance. She wanted to let me know that she was going to find a hotel and get a few rooms for everyone. She also said that she knew I would not leave, but that it would there in case I wanted to shower. My Ma and Frankie were heading out to get me a change of clothes, while Sean and Frost were on dinner duty. They would let me know as soon as they all returned.

Not too long after I noticed Maura was beginning to stir, so I began to talk to her.

"Hey there Maur, come on open your eyes... that's it, you can do it... there they are my favorite set of hazel eyes, even if the one looks a bit bigger than the other."

Maura was smiling at me, but her eyes were struggling to stay open. Then she tried to speak,

"Hey to you too,...It actually is kinda hard to keep this eye open, so I think I am going to go for monocular vision right now."

I smiled, it was so good to hear Maura's voice, "You gave me a real scare there. When I heard you were abducted it was like my heart fell out of my chest, I knew if I didn't find you my life would be empty."

Maura started to shake her head, "That's not possible for a Rizzoli, you have a wonderful family support system. I am just an outsider who you all happened to embrace, if I had not made it, your lives would have gone on fine."

I couldn't believe it, she really didn't get how much she was loved by so many. "Maur, you have so many people out there in this world that really care about you. Besides the Rizzoli's, you have Frost, Korsak, Sean, Susie, Caitlyn, your parents, and so many others that I can't name them all, unless you want me to. The point is, you have affected so many lives, and if you were to not exist, then yes many lives would feel the loss. You Maura Dorothea Isles are a very loved individual."

I could see a smile forming and a slight nod, "Thank you Jane. So where am I exactly? I know when I woke up that I wasn't in Boston anymore, however I never figured out where I was."

I knew she still had to give her statement and I didn't want to effect that, so I gave what I knew I could.

"Well when you were found, a medic with the Ranger Service deemed it best for you to be flown here, to Duke University Medical Center. Since we had access to a helicopter and your need for a Trauma Center, this was the closest one. As for the rest, I have to wait until you give your statement to Agent Colson, you understand."

I could see that she was considering something, then she said, "Yes Jane I do understand. So what is the extent of my injuries? I know I did a number on left shoulder here, besides the arrows, it was pulled out of socket when they had me strung up, and I am sure my jump into the river was not helpful."

Was I hearing her right? She jumped into a river, how far I wondered. I was anxious to hear the whole story, but knew she should only have to go through it once. So I filled her in on what the doctor said, and what Ma had relayed to me as well. Then I let her know that yes, Ma had come along with Constance and Sean. That Frost and Frankie were still there as well, and how they helped to find her.

She was quiet for awhile and at first I thought she may have fallen asleep, but then she spoke up,

"Jane, I want to thank you for coming. I am sorry that they had to call you away from your vacation. I could tell that it was important for you to get away. It would be okay with me if you wanted to go back to it. You said my Mother was here, and she can handle whatever needs be done on this end."

I needed to tell her now, so I cut her off..."Stop Maur, I am not going anywhere. This is where I am meant to be. I am so sorry for how I treated you some 27 hours ago, it was wrong of me. Yes, I was tired from all the hours I was putting in, but that was on me. I was trying to avoid something that I should have just dealt with. I had convinced myself that what I had going on in my head was not attainable, and the more I talked myself out of it, the more miserable I was becoming. I took that out on you and it wasn't fair. So I did what I do best when I feel my back is against a wall, I ran. I keep telling myself that if I had been there, then they wouldn't have got you. You wouldn't be laying here now, had I not been so frustrated."

**(Maura's POV)**

This conversation was becoming increasingly frustrating to me. I was still feeling the effects of the Anesthesia and whatever pain meds they had me on, so it was a bit hard to follow, I wasn't sure what Jane was trying to get across. "Jane stop!, I am a bit slower than normal, and where I can appreciate you trying to apologize for shutting me out, 'cause that is what you were doing. Do you think you could get to the Why of it all. What had you pushed up against the wall?"

I think she could tell that I was exhausted then, I don't think she was really looking at me before.

"Sorry Maur, I told myself that when you woke up I would just get to the point, but I am doing that avoiding thing again, and not making much sense to you. I just hope you and I can still be friends after I tell you, but if I don't tell you I will probably lose my mind, so here it goes."

Jane takes a deep breath and I move my good hand, with all the IV's in it, and rest it gently onto Jane's hand. I think she takes comfort in this, she seems to relax and says, "Maura, I have fallen deeply and madly in love with you. I keep telling myself that you are straight and way out of my league even if you weren't straight, but I just needed to finally tell you."

**(Jane's POV)**

Well I just said it, and I thought it would make me feel so much better, but it just made me feel empty. Maura was looking at me and had tears running down her face, that was not a good sign. I tried to move my hand away from hers, but she applied more pressure, which must have hurt her, because her face went from tearful to one scrunched with pain. "Jane, don't you dare try and run away again. Do you know how long I wished to hear those words from you? Do you have any idea how many nights I lay awake thinking about how my life could be complete if you would love me the way I love you? Me the straight one, I am the one who has said on numerous occasions that love is a fluid. That when two people are meant to be then it can be beautiful. In that statement do I ever mention that it had to be with a man? No, I do not think so. So Jane Clementine Rizzoli, hear me clearly before you try and bolt out that door, … I AM and HAVE BEEN, Completely and Madly in love with you. Some detective you are."

I had to laugh at the last bit, I guess I needed to go back to the academy for a refresher course. I took the next step, I got up and leaned safely into Maura and kissed her. It was slow and tender, just enough to show her that I meant what I said. The best part was she was kissing me back and I could feel the truth from her words as well. When I pulled back she was smiling, then she said, "Do you think you could ask the nurses to get me a double bed?"

I laughed hard at that, "Imagine you going straight to the sex. You my beautiful lady will just have to wait for all this to get healed. Because when I rock your world, and believe me I will be rocking it, you will need all your strength."

She laughed this time and said, "Is that so? I guess I will have to hurry my recovery along, just thinking about you is making me wet."

I yelled out, "MAURA!"

She just continued to laugh, then said, "Yes, you will be putty in my hands. Now I think I will rest for a bit. Stay with me?"

I looked at her and gave her a peck on her lips, "Always"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you for taking the ride with me. Sorry if the epilogue is too short for you guys, I don't mean to disappoint but this has been completed for a week now and I am into the sequel for Honesty and trying to work on another short tale as well. Hitting the road in 24 hrs for my birthday vacation! A little Octoberfest celebrating as well! Part 2 of Honesty should start up no later than Nov 1st. **

**Chapter 7**

**EPILOGUE**

Maura had given her statement to Agent Colson and he informed her that Richard Connell had bled out before they could get him to the local hospital. The other 2 men she was able to subdue had survived, but they would be going to prison for a very long time. The 2 men Frankie and Frost shot also survived their injuries and would be off to prison as well.

With the information that Maura gave them on Chief Johnson, they were able to arrest him as well. In his plea agreement, he gave up many more names of men involved. Agent Colson could only hope that they had gotten them all.

I still couldn't believe how much Maura endured. The guys held Maura in a whole new light after hearing how she was determined to take down as many men as she could, once she heard Richard Connell's plans for taking out the Calvary. They were very proud of her, so was I.

When we got back to Boston life went on as usual except for one big perk. I moved in with Maura, and my Ma moved into my apartment. We still let her use the kitchen for Sunday Dinners, but I revoked her key, she could knock when coming over.

Maura had 3 months of therapy before she could resume her duties as Chief Medical Examiner full time. However, that didn't mean she stayed at home, she was not about to relinquish complete control to Dr. Pike. Maura made sure to oversee every autopsy and report that came through, much to the dismay of Pike. By the time her 3 months were up, Dr. Pike had enough and soon put in his walking papers, he excepted a position with the City of Rochester, NY, he was their problem now.

Maura began to see a therapist for her ordeal after going one month without a break from nightmares. She always said she was okay as long as I was there, but I was the one who dragged her to Dr. Fuller, the private therapist I had gone to after Hoyt. I knew she didn't want it out there on her record that she was having trouble dealing with her abduction. I understood all too well how one might be viewed, not to mention defense attorneys had ways to being your personal record into play when testifying in court. Maura had enough with being the daughter of Doyle, without this being brought in to the equation as well. About a month after returning to work Maura was able to sleep soundly through the night. She would occasionally have an anxiety attack triggered by the impending trial, but the prosecutor was able to get a video statement from Maura approved by the judge. She would not have to face the men who had inflicted all that pain on her.

The Federal Prosecutor had been able to link all 4 men to everyone of those murders from years ago, so each one received two life sentences. They would be sent to a maximum security prison, and we could only hope that they would not be able to escape. Maura went back to being her same old self by the time the trial was over and to celebrate, we spent a very long weekend down at the Cape.

Learning to live with one another had been an easier transition than I thought it would be at first. The hardest part was sharing a bathroom. I liked to keep my toothpaste, mouthwash and brush all out in the open. If I use it all the time and no one but her and I came in there, then what was the big deal. Same with the shower, why couldn't a person keep there razor, soaps and shampoo out and ready to use? Anyways we were able to come to a compromise, I would use the guest shower unless engaging in fun activities with her in the main bath. Surprisingly enough I was not as messy as I was when I lived alone. I found that I consciously picked up after myself, and never forgot to use a coaster. Laundry was a fun chore now, never once did I let my clothes just pile up. Most of Maura's stuff went to the dry cleaners, but her undies, loungewear and jeans were added to my loads. Maura was surprised when I took part in cooking, and even when I started to help her bake. I guess the best and easiest way to explain it is, nobody likes to do things alone, its always better with someone else. Maura was the best someone else, so everyday tasks were now enjoyable. I mean who wouldn't love to fold towels with Maura, especially when you can kiss in between folds.

6 months into the relationship, and after we rocked each others worlds to the point of Earth almost falling off its axis. I knew that what we had was never going to falter, so I took the next logical step. I wanted the world to know that she was mine and I was hers.

It was just a simple proposal. I made her dinner, and when we sat on the couch ready to watch a movie, I faked a trip and landed on my knees in front of her. Maura knowing me so well, said Yes before I even asked. We still laugh to this day about it.

Our wedding and reception took place at the Isle's home on Martha's Vineyard. We kept everything simple though, not too overly extravagant. It was a perfect fit for a blue collar meets high society family affair. The big money expenditure that I was all for was the honeymoon. We both took a months worth of vacation time and just enjoyed time with each other. We spent 7 days in Australia, 3 days in New Zealand, and 4 days in Fiji, before spending the last 2 weeks in Hawaii.

Today is our 2 year anniversary and the honeymoon is still going strong. We both decided to not have children, instead we are being the best Aunts to TJ and to Tommy and Lydia's 2 newest additions Nico and Fia. Ma would have been happier if we had chosen to have kids, but has finally given up on hounding us. It just wasn't in our cards. We are so wrapped up in one another that we cannot see ourselves sharing any part of us. It may seem selfish to some, but neither one of us really ever wanted motherhood. What works for some, doesn't work for all.

So there you have it, if I can teach you one thing, never be afraid to follow your heart. You never know what tomorrow brings.


End file.
